What to Pack for Grahamstown 2008

1. Layers of clothing - enough to avoid competing with 20 000 people for the only two laundromats in town. It's hot in the daytime between 10am and 2pm, and hot in the more crowded venues. But when the temperature drops, your sweat freezes. So an ideal Grahamstown get-up is a warm vest for walking to the venue. You can wear a T-Shirt to look 90s-retro cool (and be way ahead of local fashions). Add a big warm coat, and a scarf. Upon arrival at each venue, you de-vest before entering. If this sounds too extreme, just don't forget to wear pants.

2. A hair dryer. You may want to wash after trudging around being enlightened all day, and you don't want to snap-freeze your style or wake up without your head on.

3. A portable blow-heater, if you have one. Anything that breathes warm air is your friend, unless it's a mime artist.

4. Which brings me to: someone to sleep with. Oddly, nobody has, in living memory, ever met anyone at the festival and actually consummated the relationship. The freezing temperatures make taking your clothes off for a stranger many lusty pants beyond hard.

5. Electric blankets, hot water bottles, small fast-breathing birds... whatever it takes, take it along.

6. Condoms. You do always pack condoms, right? For your friends.
7. A bag that can hold everything you need for about 16 hours. Going home often means you'll miss a show - the doors close bang on time.

8. Comfortable walking shoes or a fold-up bicycle. Venues are scattered all over the small town, but the distances are mostly walkable. Plus, moving around keeps you warm. Anything that keeps you warm is permissible. Staying Warm is goal number two, ranking a close second after Making Sure You Catch the Best Shows.

9. Which brings me to vitamins. You'll need them to avoid getting sick. The festival is a melting pot of minor diseases like flu from all over the country. You might also want to pack liver tablets, because although of COURSE you're not going to drink too much...

10. A diary, a camera, and a sense of fun. This festival will, for better or for worse, stand out in your memory one day. It'll be even more memorable if you capture it somehow.

Hey! If you do write something down and you want us to publish it, please email it with a picture if you got one to publishme@sa.24.com and we'll edit it and publish it on our site. This is a chance to put yourself onstage, for a change. If you're going to be onstage, a well written personal account of what it took to get you there is also welcome (no press releases) and will help publicise your show.

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